Personal Development as a Working Mother

March 6, 2018

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StrengthHasNoGender #Cbias #CollectiveBias

I get the question about how I do it all pretty regularly. Often times, I always answer with a self deprecating response of, “Oh, I’m just letting X slide, so you don’t see that part of it.” I’m not sure why the natural inclination for me is to say that. Maybe because I want to appear humble. Maybe I want other parents to relate. I don’t think I give myself enough credit sometimes.

I suppose many of these questions stem from the fact that outwardly, in all appearances that I’m managing things well. They are watching me balance my home life with four kids as a drive my career as an IT Project Manager, grow my entrepreneurial spirit as a lifestyle blogger and family photographer, and develop little minds of female girls in both of my daughter’s local troop. The skill of walking a tightrope while balancing all of these facets of my life is definitely something I am proud of and need to be more confident in how to respond to the “how do I do it all?” question.

As a working mom, one of the things that I am passionate about is personal development for both me and my kids, which is what I believe has helped me manage everything on my plate.

I work as a project manager in the healthcare IT field. Historically, project management has been a primarily male-dominated career. I intentionally invest in personal development through continuing education so that I can not only stay competitive in the job market, but to also arm myself with more information to become more effective in my area of expertise.

This love for personal development has also evolved through my volunteering experiences. I joined my two daughters on their journey in scouting as a troop leader because I wanted to help guide them by becoming their cheerleader as they take the lead in learning new things through experiences as well as help them in their own personal development to build confidence!

During my troop meetings with my daughter’s scouting group, I empower them to make life decisions through the knowledge they acquire. I love showing them how they can succeed in any industry without any prejudices to gender. With all of our activities we complete during our scouting meetings, messes are always made, but it gives the girls a chance to learn and make memories!

Walmart and Brawny® are partnering together for the Strength Has No Gender™ campaign to highlight inspirational stories of everyday women in cities across America who have been breaking down barriers in traditionally male-dominated industries and empowering others. I love how Brawny® Paper towels provide a way for me to cleanup our messes and provides a way to encourage the recognition of strong and courageous women!

GIRLS INC. PARTNERSHIP MODULE SHEROES OF TOMORROW: Brawny® will donate a $100K and, will also give your SHEro stories to Girls Inc. to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Let’s shape a better future and prove #StrengthHasNoGender

As a working mom and volunteer, I know often we are pulled in each and every direction for our attention. I know those learning moments for ourslves are rare. Here are a few suggestions on how to prioritize personal development in the chaotic world of life:

Podcasts. Finding great podcasts to listen to work is a great way to turn our commute into time to deepen your knowledge on anything you want to learn about.

Follow experts on social media. Instead of killing time scrolling through endless feeds of ridiculous posts, why not create a list of your favorite people who are experts in their field to follow? This is a great way to turn your use of social media into productive time.

Subscribe to blogs and newsletter. Use an RSS reader to follow your favorite experts. I have categories set up in my RSS reader (project management, blogging, and home decor influencers) that allows me to read about various areas I’m interested in without having to context switch all the time.

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